I thought I must be in some sort of aeroplane: Memories of the Voisin C28 Aerosport

[Editor’s Note: The new book Voisin: La Difference, authored by Reg Winstone and Philippe Ladure, and available only at the Mullin Automotive Museum, includes a number of stories, tributes and reflections on automotive pioneer Gabriel Voisin and his various cars. One of the most sensuous of those cars, the C28 Aerosport, merited an entire chapter, with recollections by Andre Michelin and others, which we’ve excerpted here. For more information on the book, visit MullinAutomotiveMuseum.com]

Memories of a Voisin Childhood “Mine was a large family for whom, ever since the turn of the last century, the motor car was regarded as a mere accessory to the pneumatic tyres on which they ran, which were our main concern. Nevertheless, motor cars our minds and were the subject of endless conversations – sometimes to the point of fisticuffs – which often concluded in Sunday excursions that generally took on a competitive edge for the benefit of the youngest, which I was. It was the Auvergne in the winter of 1932 or 1933 when several of us had our lives put at risk on the icy roads leading up to Lac Pavin, whereupon my father’s Citroën C6 suddenly buried itself in the deep snow of a roadside ditch. After struggling to open the doors, we emerged into a blizzard, sodden from head to toe and with tears in our eyes, as much from the cold as from the fear of what would happen next. What did happen next was a motor car of a make I didn’t reconise, gliding noiselessly towards us on what seemed to me to be gigantic wheels and from which, out stepped a charming woman who was none other than my godmother! I recognized her husband at the wheel, but what on earth was this magnificent car?

To my great relief, hasty negotiations led to us all being rescued aboard this mysterious machine. I found myself ensconced in soft seat cushions covered in an equally unfamiliar and indescribably strange fabric. Indeed, everything here was new to me – the steering wheel on the right, and the profusion of instruments, levers, switched and buttons scattered across the dashboard. I thought I must be in some sort of aeroplane! Then, at the end of the long bonnet, I saw two wings, upright as if ready to beat – even the distinctive smell of this handsome cabin was unlike anything I had ever known.

My reveries were interrupted by my uncle as he resumed his place behind the wheel to declare that we would tow the hapless C6 from the ditch. There followed an almost imperceptible vibration as the engine whispered into life, seemingly of its own accord. What manner of miracle was this? I’d heard no started engage (at an age when I could recognize the make of any car by the noise of its started motor). With the help of a few volunteers to push, the C6 was duly towed from the ditch, and I had the good fortune to continue the journey in comfort in the company of our rescuers. It was then that I learned who made the car I was in – a name I would never forget.

Thereafter, my uncle – a brilliant engineer in his own right, who knew everything about the best tyres for anything on wheels – preferred Voisin above all other brands. Over the years, I saw him and my godmother driving their Carene and Charente models. For some reason, they christened all their Voisins ‘Bichette’… Then, as Voisin evolved more streamlined forms, they acquired a marvelous Aerodyne, a more sober Clairiere, and last of all, the sublime Aérosport which I first saw on the Voisin stand at the 1935 Paris Salon. My uncle had ordered the car long before the show, but agreed for it to be exhibited on the Voisin stand, because enough examples had not yet been built. In my eyes, being the actual show car made it all the more special.

I don’t know who said that success in life was all about realising one’s childhood dreams, but the cars of Gabriel Voisin – family saloons, the most part – have always made me dream because in my view they embody all that is harmonious and intelligent in automotive design. Bugatti has similar qualities, along with creations of Georges Paulin.

The distinctive characteristics of a Voisin were apparent from the minute you opened the door and entered the car. The design of each individual element, the way the parts worked, the materials and colours used, all these were found nowhere else but on Gabriel Voisin’s products. I’ve never experiences anything like it – except perhaps for the first time I took the wheel of my first Citroën DS19 in 1956, Anyhow, weren’t the DSs of those years partly Voisin? However, that’s another story…” –Andre Michelin, Producer and Director

The Most Beautiful “The C6 Laboratoire was the most original Voisin and the C20 the most prestigious, but I find the C28 Aérosport the most beautiful. Its pontoon body reflects the aerodynamic principles of the former aircraft manufacturing experience, and certain details such as the three wipers passing through the windscreen and the rear wheel spats are gems of Art Deco design.

For me, Voisin was the Picasso of automotive history. His daring creations always astonished with their departures from conventional aesthetics, and with the exception of a few wealthy eccentrics, their disdain for bourgeois notions of good taste. But Voisin was a visionary, a free and critical spirit who never settled for the easy option.” –Ever Meulen, Illustrator

Ready to Leap “As a child in Paris in the late fifties, I used to see a black Voisin murmuring through Place Jeanne d’Arc every day, followed by a light haze of blue smoke. Its distinctive sound and its sober, angular shape marked it out from other cars.

Later on, Voisin’s work was a source of inspiration for me – the ingenuity he brought to marrying function and aesthetics (the sliding roof, the door handles and mechanisms, the design of the side lamps and so on), everything of a piece and carefully thought out. My sculptures certainly share this minimalist aspect, and the sense of latent dynamism that is most evident on the Aérosport, which seems crouched as if its ready to leap.” –Alain Moitrier, Illustrator and Sculptor

April 3, 2015 9:59 am

Don Homuthsays:

April 3, 2015 10:32 am

The design and tale is reminiscent of the one-off Hispano-Suiza shown at the Portland Art Museum car show a couple of years back. The written sign said it was made to resemble an airplane in construction and design.
Which, I suspect, would have made it all but impossible to drive on a sunny day.
But for its time, what a Thing!

J Franksays:

April 3, 2015 11:21 am

Voisins are almost unknown here in the US, and that is a shame. They are incredibly good looking cars, and they were an inspiration for many other designers. I need to go see the Voisin on display at the Tampa Bay Auto Museum again. Amazing cars, and an interesting history.

Dave the Corvair Guysays:

April 3, 2015 12:08 pm

I like the artistic value of the photographs, especially, the bottom one with the streaks of light of cars that went by. On a Corvair Facebook page, one of the members posts very artistic photographs – they provoke one to look at the car from different aspects. I happen to like those photos better than the standard 3/4 view picture.

Christophesays:

April 7, 2015 6:48 am

Toivoksays:

April 3, 2015 6:25 pm

i had the pleasure at the Mullin to see a Voisin Lumiere (accents missing) designed by Le Corbusier with Voisin…. The car was being detailed and was lightly disassembled but was dramatically different from other Voisins by having a tall greenhouse for light. Amazing!

Jim Cranksays:

April 4, 2015 2:05 pm

One question always comes up when the discussion turns to Voisin, Willys or Daimler. Why did the designers choose the double sleeve Knight engine, when the single sleeve Burt-McCullom was so superior and less likely to have sleeve seizures or smoke so badly? WW-2 aircraft engines well proved the superiority of the single sleeve design.

M. Johnsonsays:

April 19, 2015 8:02 pm

I don’t think that Burt or McCollum had separately invented the single sleeve valve design at the time, and Charles Y. Knight wasn’t successful in designing one, so he went with the double sleeve design.

April 5, 2015 1:49 pm

Peter Nelsonsays:

April 19, 2015 2:17 pm

Being 62, and having grown up among the locals – GM and Ford designs – and later the LBCs, this is another approach entirely. The photographs evoke an uncommon beauty and appeal. I’d never seen nor heard of Voisin and now it’s on my list of cars to see. Thank you Hemmings contributors.